Blind ex-footballer joins Stockton & Darlington Railway trek
HE may have severely restricted vision these days, but former England footballer Dave Thomas has a clear view of how much his guide dog, Hannah, has meant to him: “She’s completely transformed my life,” he says.
And that’s why Dave, along with his gentle golden labrador, will be joining a charity walk on Saturday, May 30 – along the route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway – to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB).
Dave Thomas and his retired guide dog, Hannah (Image: Peter Barron)
To make the event even more poignant, Dave and his brother, Mel, will walk past a new information board on the route at Witton Park, complete with a photograph of a group of miners, which includes their legendary grandad, David Reece ‘Ticer’ Thomas.
Ticer was a miner who captained West Auckland Town Football Club to victory in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy – the first World Cup – in Turin, in 1909.
David Reece 'Ticer' Thomas, centre back row (Image: Family handout)
Like their grandad, Dave and Mel were raised in West Auckland, with Dave going on to a professional career which saw him capped seven times for England, and play for Burnley, Queens Park Rangers, Everton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Wolves, and Vancouver Whitecaps.
Dave, who will will join the walk for the seven-mile section from Witton Park to Locomotion railway museum, at Shildon, admits it will be “a very emotional moment” when he and his brother pass the photo of their grandad.
Mel Thomas with the information board featuring a photo of his grandad (Image: Dave Baglin)
“It’s a nice connection to a real piece of local history while also raising money for two incredible charities which make the world of difference to blind and visually impaired people,” says Dave.
“Until you become a guide dog owner, you don’t appreciate how incredibly important they are. They change lives, and that’s why I want to do my bit, so that others benefit.”
Dave, who has some central vision but no peripheral sight, has already collected more than £120,000 for Guide Dogs for the Blind through his own fundraising efforts, including golf days, dinners, and writing a book called Guiding Me Home and Away.
Generous donations have also come in from some of his former clubs and football figures like Harry Redknapp.
Dave was given Hannah as his first guide dog nine-and-a-half years ago. She's retired now, with a greying muzzle, so, Dave’s on the waiting list for a new one..
“You can become very isolated when you lose your sight because you don’t want to go out where there’s lots of people,” explains Dave, who lives at Lartington, near Barnard Castle.
“I haven’t driven for 20 years because of my deteriorating sight but, since I got Hannah, I can go on a bus, train or plane. I’ve been to London numerous times on my own because of having a guide dog, and Joe Public’s also very helpful.”
Dave became involved in the charity walk through Mel’s association with a walking group, called Local Motion, which is organising the event.
Mel’s “best walking mate”, Dave Baglin, a local engineer, formed the group 20 years ago this year with his brother, Mark, going on to raise tens of thousands of pounds for various charities through a series of outdoor challenges.
They began with climbing Ben Nevis in 2006, swiftly followed by canoeing the Tyne. Paddling the length of Loch Ness a year later was a monster effort, while other challenges have included the 42-mile Lyke Wake Walk.
For the latest challenge, Dave was inspired by last year’s 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, but he had no idea how many historic connections he’d be opening up.
“It just feels like the stars are aligned, with more and more links to the past coming to light, not least Dave Thomas and Mel walking past the photo of their famous grandad,” says Dave.
Another connection to the railways is that the Thomas brothers’ dad, Lloyd – Ticer’s son – worked at Shildon Railway Workshops.
Most of the 26-mile route of the world’s first passenger railway has now been made accessible to walkers, with new paths and information boards. However, there are some minor detours, meaning the charity walk will be 28.5 miles.
Neil Cleasby is aiming to complete the full walk, from Witton Park to Stockton-on-Tees, despite being registered blind, due to hereditary detached retinas. He has no sight in his left eye and just 20 per cent in his right eye.
“The walk is going to be my Everest,” says the former construction site manager, who’s known Dave Baglin since they were in the same class at Eldon Lane Primary School.
“When I lost my sight three years ago, the RNIB was fantastic, so I want to give something back. I’ve been out on the ‘recces’ and I’m really looking forward to it,” says Neil.
In yet another railway connection, Neil’s dad, Morton, was a welder at Shildon Workshops and his grandad, Herbert Lindsley, died in a works accident on the site.
It is hoped around 40 people will take part in the walk, although it’s a case of the more the merrier.
No financial target has been set – “we just want to raise as much as possible for the two charities,” says Dave Baglin.
As well as a former England footballer, the walk has attracted another notable supporter in North Yorkshire mountaineer, Alan Hinkes, whose 30th anniversary of climbing Everest just happens to coincide with the walk.
If only the connections on the modern railways were as timely...
